January 22nd marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of the delicious Ann Sothern (1909-2001), one of the big (and small) screen’s most beloved blond comediennes. Often cast in musicals in the 1930s, notably opposite Maurice Chevalier in Folies Bergere (1935), she spent most of the 40s wisecracking her way through the likable Maisie series at MGM. Sothern’s best film is A Letter to Three Wives (1949), Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s sharp, Oscar-winning adult comedy. Yes, Sothern is one of the three wives, each of whom suspects that her husband has run off with the unseen Addie (voiced by elegant Celeste Holm). Married to schoolteacher Kirk Douglas, Sothern plays a radio writer whose success is causing trouble in her marriage. Sothern is at her wittiest, and it’s nice to see Douglas cast as a brainy, rather than brawny, fellow. Add wonderful performances from Linda Darnell, Paul Douglas, and, of course, Thelma Ritter, and you have a high spot in American screen comedy of the period.
2 responses so far ↓
1 Mark Kirby // Jan 21, 2009 at 9:43 pm
Thank you, John for this appreciation of the wonderful Miss Sothern. A LETTER TO THREE WIVES is one of my top ten films OF ALL TIME. She is great in it. Sothern always enlivened any film in which she appeared, much like her blonde lookalike, Joan Blondell (try keeping track of which is which in CRY HAVOC. Talk about havoc!). How nice that we have her work on the big and small screen to enjoy. Too many enjoyable performances for me to mention, which says a lot about dear Ann.
2 John DiLeo // Jan 25, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Hey,
I love Joan Blondell, too!
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